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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. net — for catching
  19. squash — the sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rash — hasty
  23. prune — to trim
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com